- Fish health checked before every dispatch
- Stocking advice with every order
- You speak to the people who raise the fish
- Delivering to Dullstroom
Smoked trout recipes that start with the right fish
These are the five recipes we suggest most often at Stillriver Trout, where the smokehouse makes two styles from fish grown on the farm. Each recipe tells you which one to use, because that choice matters more than any other step.
Hot-smoked fillets are cooked through, firm and flaky. Use them when the trout is flaked, blended or warmed, as in a pate, pasta or bake. Cold-smoked ribbons are silky and mild, like smoked salmon. Use them where they are draped or served cold, and add them at the very end. You can read more about both on our smoked trout page.
A few rules hold for every recipe here:
- Taste before you salt. Smoked trout already brings salt.
- Lemon, dill, chives, horseradish, capers and something creamy all suit smoked fish.
- Keep hot dishes off the boil once the trout goes in, so it stays tender.
Each recipe serves about two people. Scale up freely.
1. Smoked trout pate
The classic, and the easiest of all smoked trout recipes. It takes about ten minutes, makes enough for a lunch or two, and turns a pack of hot-smoked fillets into a starter for a crowd.
You need
- 2 hot-smoked trout fillets, skin removed
- 100 g cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons creme fraiche or soft butter
- Juice and grated zest of half a lemon
- A small bunch of dill or chives, chopped
- Black pepper, and a little creamed horseradish if you like heat
Method
- Flake the trout with a fork, checking for any small bones.
- Beat the cream cheese and creme fraiche until soft, then add the lemon, herbs and pepper.
- Fold in most of the trout. Mash it for a smooth pate, or leave flakes for a rough one.
- Taste, adjust the lemon and pepper, and top with the remaining flakes.
- Chill for a short while and serve with toast, crackers, rye or cucumber slices.
2. Hot smoked trout pasta with lemon and peas
A weeknight hot smoked trout recipe that is on the table in the time it takes to boil pasta.
You need
- 200 g pasta, such as linguine or penne
- 1 hot-smoked trout fillet, flaked
- A cup of frozen peas
- 1 clove garlic, finely sliced
- A knob of butter and a splash of olive oil
- 125 ml cream or creme fraiche
- Zest and juice of half a lemon, black pepper, parsley or dill
Method
- Cook the pasta in salted water. Add the peas for the last couple of minutes.
- Meanwhile, soften the garlic in the butter and oil over a low heat without browning it.
- Add the cream and lemon zest and warm through.
- Drain the pasta and peas, keeping a little of the cooking water, and toss them into the sauce.
- Take the pan off the heat, fold in the trout, lemon juice, pepper and herbs, and loosen with pasta water if needed.
3. Smoked trout salad with potatoes, cucumber and dill
Good warm or cold, and a smart way to use either style of trout.
You need
- A handful of baby potatoes, boiled and halved
- Cold-smoked trout ribbons or a flaked hot-smoked fillet
- Half a cucumber, sliced
- A few radishes, thinly sliced, and a handful of salad leaves
- For the dressing: plain yoghurt or creme fraiche, lemon juice, a little mustard, chopped dill, pepper
Method
- Mix the dressing and taste it. It should be sharp enough to cut the smoke.
- Toss the warm potatoes in half the dressing so they soak it up.
- Arrange the leaves, potatoes, cucumber and radish on a platter.
- Lay the trout ribbons over the top, or scatter the flakes, and spoon over the rest of the dressing.
4. Scrambled eggs on toast with smoked trout
The best breakfast in this list. The trick is to keep the eggs soft and add the trout right at the end.
You need
- 4 eggs
- A knob of butter and a splash of milk or cream
- Cold-smoked trout ribbons
- 2 slices of good bread, toasted
- Chives, black pepper and a lemon wedge
Method
- Beat the eggs with the milk and pepper. Hold the salt.
- Melt the butter over a low heat, add the eggs and stir slowly until they are just set and still soft.
- Take the pan off the heat. Fold in half the trout, so it warms without cooking.
- Pile onto hot buttered toast, drape the rest of the ribbons on top, and finish with chives and a squeeze of lemon.
5. Potato and smoked trout bake
A comforting one-dish supper, close to a fish pie without the fuss. Use hot-smoked fillets, which hold their flakes in the oven.
You need
- About 500 g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 onion, finely sliced and softened in butter
- 2 hot-smoked trout fillets, flaked
- 250 ml cream, or half cream and half milk
- A handful of spinach or chopped leeks, optional
- Grated cheese for the top, dill or parsley, black pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to about 180 °C and butter a baking dish.
- Parboil the potato slices for a few minutes until just tender at the edges, then drain.
- Layer potatoes, onion, spinach or leeks, trout and herbs, ending with a layer of potato.
- Season the cream with pepper and pour it over. Go light on salt.
- Scatter the cheese on top and bake until golden and bubbling, and the potatoes are soft right through.
- Rest it for a few minutes before serving with a green salad.
More quick ideas, no recipe needed
Once you have a pack of smoked trout in the fridge, a meal is rarely more than a few minutes away. Some combinations that work every time:
- Bagel or rye toast with cream cheese, cold-smoked ribbons, capers, red onion and black pepper.
- Baked potato split open and filled with sour cream, chives and flaked hot-smoked trout.
- Fishcakes from leftover mashed potato, flaked hot-smoked trout, spring onion and lemon zest, coated in crumbs and pan-fried.
- Kedgeree of buttery rice, a little curry powder, soft-boiled eggs, peas and hot-smoked flakes.
- Canapes of cucumber rounds topped with a spoon of pate or a curl of ribbon and a sprig of dill.
- Grain bowl of rice or bulgur, avocado, leaves, pickled onion and flaked trout with a lemon dressing.
What goes well with smoked trout
Smoked fish likes sharp, fresh and creamy partners. Lemon, capers, pickles and horseradish cut through the richness. Dill, chives and parsley freshen it. Cream cheese, creme fraiche, yoghurt, butter and soft eggs soften the smoke and salt. Potatoes, rye bread and beetroot give it something to sit on. Keep spices gentle so the trout stays the main flavour.
Buying smoked trout for these recipes
For home cooks, our retail packs of ribbons and fillets are made for these dishes. For restaurants, cafes and caterers, these recipes scale easily and work well on breakfast and lunch menus. We supply kitchens in Mpumalanga and Gauteng with smoked trout and fresh trout on scheduled delivery runs.
If you are planning a menu, tell us which dishes you want to run and roughly how many covers, and we will suggest which style and pack size suits you best. Ask for the current price list, or browse our other guides.
Cooking with smoked trout
Which smoked trout should I use for recipes?
Use hot-smoked fillets for anything flaked, blended or warmed: pate, pasta, bakes and fishcakes. They are cooked through and hold their shape. Use cold-smoked ribbons for anything draped or served cold, like salads, bagels and eggs on toast, and add them at the end. Both styles are on our smoked trout page.
Can you cook cold-smoked trout?
You can warm it very gently, but it is best not cooked. Heat turns cold-smoked ribbons firm, dry and salty, and you lose the silky texture you paid for. In hot dishes, stir ribbons in off the heat just before serving, or lay them on top. If a recipe needs the fish cooked into it, use hot-smoked fillets instead.
How do you make smoked trout pate?
Flake hot-smoked trout fillets, then blend or mash them with cream cheese, a little creme fraiche or butter, lemon juice and zest, black pepper and chopped dill or chives. Keep some flakes whole for texture. Taste before adding salt, because the fish is already seasoned. Chill it briefly and serve with toast, crackers or cucumber.
Do I need to add salt to smoked trout dishes?
Usually very little. Smoked trout is cured, so it already carries salt into the dish. Season everything else lightly, add the trout, then taste and adjust at the end. Lemon, fresh herbs, pepper and something creamy balance the smoke and salt better than extra salt does.
How long does smoked trout keep once opened?
Follow the date on the pack while it is sealed. Once it is open, wrap what is left tightly, keep it in the coldest part of the fridge and use it soon. Hot-smoked fillets freeze better than cold-smoked ribbons if you have more than you need. Dishes made with smoked trout, like pate, are best eaten fresh.